Home > Consumer Reviews > Western Digital My Passport Essential 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive WDMEPN1600TN (Vibrant Pink)
Western Digital My Passport Essential 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive WDMEPN1600TN (Vibrant Pink)
See it at Amazon.com for $83.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Handy little drive, reliable and quiet, included sync software is not too good.
(4 out of 5) by Anjana Nigam on Jun 11, 2008 (Minneapolis, MN)The Hardware: The Passport drive is roughly the size of a passport and about 3/4th inch thick, very easy to carry and use. It comes with a very short USB cable to connect it and works off the power from your computer. The transfer speed to a Windows XP system was respectable, but when used with a Vista based system it really took off. I was able to transfer 7GB of MP3 files from the passport drive to a laptop running Vista in about 4-5 minutes.
The Software: There is some WD syncing software preinstalled on the drive that automatically asks you which folders you want to sync to the drive. This software is not very user friendly and it does not help that there is no manual. However, it's not too difficult to figure out. Once you select the folders on your computer that you want to sync it will ask if you want to autosync each time you connect this drive. The first time I synced my computer it took about 8-10 hours. The copy of your files on the passport drive is encrypted and is accessible only through the software that asks you for a password each time. I would have given this drive 5 stars if it wasn't for the clumsy and slow software.
You can also copy folders through Windows "drag and drop" onto this drive. This method is a easier and faster way of getting your files on the drive although they will not be encrypted. This is useful for the folders that you don't want to auto sync each time as the auto sync program will delete any files that you delete from the computer from the drive as well.
I use this drive on Windows XP and I was able to use the drive to upload my files on a Vista system without any problems. Overall, a great product!
Update 7/30: Bad news!
Unfortunately, the drive has failed after 2 months of usage, I called WD customer service who were very helpful and suggested some trouble shooting tips. None of them worked and the drive would not be recognized by any system. I have no idea how it happened as I never knocked it or dropped it. The only reason may have been that I had pulled out its USB cord out of my laptop without a proper shut down through the Windows tool. In my defense, I did try to shut it down through the system tool but it could not shut down the drive. So I closed all programs and made sure the drive was not in the read/write mode and then pulled out the plug. Usually, this should not cause a problem but who knows what went wrong.
The WD customer service said that they'll replace my drive with a refurbished one if I send it out to them, or I could just return it to the store. I was able to return it to the "C" warehouse and decided I would go with another brand this time round. I've now got the SimpleTech SP-U25/250L 250 GB Portable Hard Drive - Blue which is working well for me. It comes with a power boost cable and also has a separate light which goes on when it's reading or writing. I'm glad I had my data backed up on another external (non-portable) hard drive as the data retreival services are very expensive.
The Software: There is some WD syncing software preinstalled on the drive that automatically asks you which folders you want to sync to the drive. This software is not very user friendly and it does not help that there is no manual. However, it's not too difficult to figure out. Once you select the folders on your computer that you want to sync it will ask if you want to autosync each time you connect this drive. The first time I synced my computer it took about 8-10 hours. The copy of your files on the passport drive is encrypted and is accessible only through the software that asks you for a password each time. I would have given this drive 5 stars if it wasn't for the clumsy and slow software.
You can also copy folders through Windows "drag and drop" onto this drive. This method is a easier and faster way of getting your files on the drive although they will not be encrypted. This is useful for the folders that you don't want to auto sync each time as the auto sync program will delete any files that you delete from the computer from the drive as well.
I use this drive on Windows XP and I was able to use the drive to upload my files on a Vista system without any problems. Overall, a great product!
Update 7/30: Bad news!
Unfortunately, the drive has failed after 2 months of usage, I called WD customer service who were very helpful and suggested some trouble shooting tips. None of them worked and the drive would not be recognized by any system. I have no idea how it happened as I never knocked it or dropped it. The only reason may have been that I had pulled out its USB cord out of my laptop without a proper shut down through the Windows tool. In my defense, I did try to shut it down through the system tool but it could not shut down the drive. So I closed all programs and made sure the drive was not in the read/write mode and then pulled out the plug. Usually, this should not cause a problem but who knows what went wrong.
The WD customer service said that they'll replace my drive with a refurbished one if I send it out to them, or I could just return it to the store. I was able to return it to the "C" warehouse and decided I would go with another brand this time round. I've now got the SimpleTech SP-U25/250L 250 GB Portable Hard Drive - Blue which is working well for me. It comes with a power boost cable and also has a separate light which goes on when it's reading or writing. I'm glad I had my data backed up on another external (non-portable) hard drive as the data retreival services are very expensive.
57 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
Get a drive with a power supply!
(1 out of 5) by M. Mills on Oct 18, 2008Perhaps handy for carrying around and the occasional backup, but as a general use drive about worthless for me--USB power only feature STINKS. Even with a powered USB hub in combination with my Mac Powerbook, this thing spontaneously 'ejects' and disappears from the desktop multiple times per day. (Without a powered drive my laptop cannot even recognize this drive, not enough power via USB.) Even with my G5 desktop the same problem--often loses power and disappears from the desktop, I must disconnect/reconnect and it appears again...for a little while at least.
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
Very impressive Drive!
(5 out of 5) by Mike Voss on Oct 23, 2008Quick summery, Works as advertised, easy to format to ntfs usable drive space on 500 is 465 the same as the previous My Book, it needs no external (additional power). The heat generated is not really noticeable at all.
potential negative: little white flashing light, there is no more disc noise than an IPOD. The only warning I would give is the lack of a case, it really needs protection and should (in my opinion) only be transported or even stored in a case. However this can't be held against the drive as far as its performance.
A little more commentary on reliability, and Price value.
I have purchased half a dozen passport drives in the last 90 days all but one are 320. So as a measure of reliability all of these drives have so far worked very well. They have not become louder or slower they are like they were in the beginning. I use some as dedicated backups and some for consolidation and centralization. As far as durability I have taken one with me on a few trips the first one I acquired. It functions without any noticeable difference as well.
Commentary about Price difference to follow.
No drive is 100% reliable few are in the high 90's for that long. This is of course my opinion, but when compared to the prior My Book 500 GB models of which a few each with power supplies etc. It is so great to not have to deal with big heavy drives with power supplies. When comparing that difference I believe this is certainly worth the price.
A final word on the drive. Not in recent memory have I seen the price for something like the passport drives be so different (in percent) due to color. If there is any difference in any of the WD passport models in color or stainless steel etc please let me know. If it is just aesthetics then as far as I am concerned who cares. Buy the color of your choice but if you are choosing based on price make sure to be aware that color or metal instead of plastic can make a huge difference. In the case of the 320 and 250 passport there seemed to be not just a very big price difference, often 15-35 percent, and this price would change based upon new models etc.
potential negative: little white flashing light, there is no more disc noise than an IPOD. The only warning I would give is the lack of a case, it really needs protection and should (in my opinion) only be transported or even stored in a case. However this can't be held against the drive as far as its performance.
A little more commentary on reliability, and Price value.
I have purchased half a dozen passport drives in the last 90 days all but one are 320. So as a measure of reliability all of these drives have so far worked very well. They have not become louder or slower they are like they were in the beginning. I use some as dedicated backups and some for consolidation and centralization. As far as durability I have taken one with me on a few trips the first one I acquired. It functions without any noticeable difference as well.
Commentary about Price difference to follow.
No drive is 100% reliable few are in the high 90's for that long. This is of course my opinion, but when compared to the prior My Book 500 GB models of which a few each with power supplies etc. It is so great to not have to deal with big heavy drives with power supplies. When comparing that difference I believe this is certainly worth the price.
A final word on the drive. Not in recent memory have I seen the price for something like the passport drives be so different (in percent) due to color. If there is any difference in any of the WD passport models in color or stainless steel etc please let me know. If it is just aesthetics then as far as I am concerned who cares. Buy the color of your choice but if you are choosing based on price make sure to be aware that color or metal instead of plastic can make a huge difference. In the case of the 320 and 250 passport there seemed to be not just a very big price difference, often 15-35 percent, and this price would change based upon new models etc.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent value for the money and portable to boot
(5 out of 5) by Jerry Saperstein on Sep 15, 2008 (Evanston, IL USA) For the price, you can't beat the capacity and portability of these Western Digital My Passport Essential Portable Hard Drives.
Western Digital has a long history of producing dependable drives.ss
The housings are well designed and, with a bit of care, you can dissemble them should the need or desire arise. The drives themselves are workhorses. They are not the fastest, but they are more than adequate for most purposes.
I generally don't comment on other reviews of the same product, but there seem to be a number of misconceptions about this product thst should be clarified.
First, these portable hard drives are for usse only with USB 2.0 ports. Period. Machines three years old and older may not have USB 2.0 ports.
Second, hard drives are electro-mechanical devices. Hard drives do fail unexpectedly whether they are a day or year or more old. Hard drive failure is not predictable. So it you plan on using this or any hard drive to back up your precious family photos, financial records or doctoral thesis, make sure you have a second or third backup!
A couple of minor criticisms of the product. The supplied USB cable is on the short side. On the other hand, how long a cable do you need with a portable drive? In any event, USB cables are readily available and relatively inexpensive. A bigger and more important criticism is that Western Digital does not provide a cable with a second USB connector for use on those computers where a single USB port doesn't provide enough power. Finally, WD doesn't include a carrying case. Small things, to be sure, that wouldn't cost Western Digital a lot of money to include, but they don't.
You won't find any competent network administrator who doesn't have multiple backups and the reason for this is that hard drives do fail!
So if you entrust your valuable data to a single hard drive, you are making a big mistake. Always have at least two and preferably three backups that you update frequently. And don't assume that your backups are reliable. Test recovering data from them from time to time.
You might be able to recover some or all the data from a failed hard drive, but it can be a very expensive or troublesome process.
Just remember: if it's worth backing up, it's worth backing up at least twice. That's what the IT pros do - and it's what you should do with your valuable data as well.
Sorry for the digression, but I just wanted to correct the misimpressions that some people have left about these drives.
The Western Digital My Passport Essentials are solid, inexpensive, portable and very useful hard drives.
Jerry
Western Digital has a long history of producing dependable drives.ss
The housings are well designed and, with a bit of care, you can dissemble them should the need or desire arise. The drives themselves are workhorses. They are not the fastest, but they are more than adequate for most purposes.
I generally don't comment on other reviews of the same product, but there seem to be a number of misconceptions about this product thst should be clarified.
First, these portable hard drives are for usse only with USB 2.0 ports. Period. Machines three years old and older may not have USB 2.0 ports.
Second, hard drives are electro-mechanical devices. Hard drives do fail unexpectedly whether they are a day or year or more old. Hard drive failure is not predictable. So it you plan on using this or any hard drive to back up your precious family photos, financial records or doctoral thesis, make sure you have a second or third backup!
A couple of minor criticisms of the product. The supplied USB cable is on the short side. On the other hand, how long a cable do you need with a portable drive? In any event, USB cables are readily available and relatively inexpensive. A bigger and more important criticism is that Western Digital does not provide a cable with a second USB connector for use on those computers where a single USB port doesn't provide enough power. Finally, WD doesn't include a carrying case. Small things, to be sure, that wouldn't cost Western Digital a lot of money to include, but they don't.
You won't find any competent network administrator who doesn't have multiple backups and the reason for this is that hard drives do fail!
So if you entrust your valuable data to a single hard drive, you are making a big mistake. Always have at least two and preferably three backups that you update frequently. And don't assume that your backups are reliable. Test recovering data from them from time to time.
You might be able to recover some or all the data from a failed hard drive, but it can be a very expensive or troublesome process.
Just remember: if it's worth backing up, it's worth backing up at least twice. That's what the IT pros do - and it's what you should do with your valuable data as well.
Sorry for the digression, but I just wanted to correct the misimpressions that some people have left about these drives.
The Western Digital My Passport Essentials are solid, inexpensive, portable and very useful hard drives.
Jerry
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Extremely disappointed with this WD passport model
(1 out of 5) by Digidoll on Apr 18, 2009 (boston ma)I have been purchasing WD passports since 2005. Earlier models were made of metal and had a sturdy rubber base. Working in both a mac and pc platforms I could easily switch their plug and play platforms between systems easily. The drives were rugged, reliable and just the right size.
However I found this model to be far below the WD passport standards I have become accustom to. From its cheap all plastic and poorly constructed casing to running hot and finally failing five days out of the box, this product was a major disappointment.
However I found this model to be far below the WD passport standards I have become accustom to. From its cheap all plastic and poorly constructed casing to running hot and finally failing five days out of the box, this product was a major disappointment.